tagged: Athens, eurogroup, Feb 16 2012, Greece, Greek Reactions, protests, second bailout, weather, what's up in greece

What’s Up in Greece on Feb 16/12?

Posted by keeptalkinggreece in Very Mix

Confusion and a kind of EU-fatigue are up in Greece after Germany questioned Greece’s commitments, via Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. The German FinMin went even so far to oppose parliamentary elections and to ask a government of technocrats like in Italy. Schaeuble expressed concern as to whether the future Greek government will stick to the commitments to implement the Memorandum of Understanding. No wonder that quite some Greeks wonder, “if we have some friends and EU partners like that, then we do not need enemies.”

After the strong reaction of the President Karolos Papoulias, left-wing party leader of SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, said that at the end they will ask pensioners to send written commitments that they accept their pension to go down to 200 euro. “Soon they will ask us to cancel the democracy in order to give us the aid package,” he said.

Despite the fact that the Greek parliament passed the new loan agreement and the austerity package and Papademos coalition government leader sent their written commitments to EU, it is true that Greece has shortages in credibility. So far little has been done in terms of cutting state expenditures, except raising taxes and cutting wages and pensions.

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said after the Eurogroup on Wednesday that Greece’s lenders ”they want to know that they are dealing with a country as a whole that is credible, not one or another party, one or another government, but one nation that will continue,” Venizelos said.

However who can demand that the one million jobless could support the harsh austerity?

The Eurogroup postponed its decision for aid package for Feb 20, 2012. After the 3-hour teleconference on Wednesday Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker expressed optimism that the second bailout for Greece will be given green light on upcoming Monday.

However, these decisions must pass through the national parliaments and time is running up. Moreover some of Greece’s lenders seem to favor the idea of giving the second aid package to Greece after the elections.

The scenario of a bridge-loan ( €15 billion) to Greece to be able to redeem the Greek bonds (€14.4 billion) that mature on March 20, 2012.

As austerity strikes Greeks right in the head, several interests groups are protesting in downtown Athens the decreases in incomes. Employees at Worker’s Housing Organization (OEK), pensioners, former workers at Olympic Airways. Personnel of four Athens public hospitals and ambulance workers protests the upcoming mergers in the hospitals.

The Teachers’ union will launch 2-hour work stoppage tomorrow, Friday.

The administration of Attica will grant aid worth 10 million euros to those businesses that suffered damages during the riots of last Sunday. Athens Municipality plans to exempt them from municipality fees for one year.

 The weather remains snowy in Northern Greece and quite chilly in the South.

Have a great Fat Thursday! And if you have no money to buy and grill meat according to the Greek custom,  go to downtown Athens and visit the meat market,Varvakios Agora near the building of Athens Municipality. The vendors will distribute 1,000 kilos of grilled meat and 200 liter of wine, free of charge